The invention relates to structural members and to methods of manufacturing structural members. More particularly, the invention relates to structural frames for motor vehicles, as well as other vehicle structural elements, such as control arms and door panels. Still more particularly, the invention relates to engine cradles for passenger vehicles.
A typical engine cradle for a passenger vehicle comprises four structural frame members welded together to define a generally rectangular opening. Each structural member has a box-like cross section. The box-like section can be made, for example, by welding a pair of U-shaped members together.
Known methods of manufacturing engine cradles require a substantial capital investment and substantial manpower. It is also very difficult to control tolerances on the various cradle parts because of the significant number of operations required to make the cradle. The tolerances of each of these sequential operations may stack to cause large dimensional discrepancies in the finished assembly.